European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 8, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday May 8, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3militaryfrom Page t mint adviser to the command. Quot we de certified the Neucom personal program on april 13,�?� Rush said adding later a we have no alternative but to perform these inspections in the  routine . Port inspections of inbound goods began april 8, he said. The department has sent a Quot pest alerts to All port inspectors to look for Gypsy Moths said Larry Mark a spokesman at the department s Headquarters in Maryland. During inspections officials Check shipping manifests for All outdoor equipment then open the corresponding shipments until they find the suspect goods. If everything is in order they repack them. Quot if signs of the Moth Are found the inspector has the option of either fumigating the shipment or holding it until All the larvae arc hatched Quot Mark said adding that the larvae should Hatch by june 15. These actions entail increased expenses to the government but the costs vary depending on port fees and local storage charges Rush said. Even after june 15, inspectors will have to look for egg masses that this years generation of Moths will Lay during the summer he said. Isome upgrading of military inspections appears imminent. The logistics office at army Headquarters in Washington sent a message april 18 to the european come instructing it to re Institute inspections of All household goods Rush said. The . Army Europe is considering the a a request carefully but military personnel shortages make it difficult to Honor fully said Jim Boyle a spokesman at the army a european Headquarters in Heidelberg Germany. A we Are taking the Gypsy Moth problem very seriously and Are taking Steps to control it a Boyle said. He a Gypsy Moth caterpillars seen at right under a Microscope have begun to cat their Way through Germany a forests. Said that when the army moves anybody out of Germany that person receives a briefing on How to inspect personal belongings and must sign a statement saying the inspection was  inspectors pay the most attention to goods from family quarters where residents arc Likely to leave Lawn furniture and other property outdoors Boyle said. Also outdoor equipment is separated from indoor items during shipping making it easier for port inspectors to identify potential problems. A helicopter swoops Over the Frankfurt Forest in Germany last week spraying insecticide to combat the critters. The largest unit to move to the United states during the draw Down the 3rd brigade combat team based in Mannheim Germany has rained and certified its own customs inspectors. In that unit the inspection rate for household goods is 100 percent Boyle said. But the household goods Are not the Only weak link in the inspection Chain. Moth eggs also have escaped detection on private vehicles and military equipment even though All such cargo remains subject to 100 percent inspections and army inspectors in Europe had cleared i. Asian Moth larvae turned up two weeks ago on private cars and military equipment shipped from Germany. Mark said the agriculture department found the larvae in ports at Charleston . Baltimore and Houston. One German firm that ships . Cars Karl Gross a Mph amp co. Of Bromer Haven sent its agents a letter tuesday warning of possible 20-Day delays at . Ports. So far Gypsy Moth eggs have turned up on Only one shipping line with which the company does business employee Renate Kukla said. In general the army is doing a Good Job of checking the military equipment sent to the United states the agriculture departments Rush said but the private vehicles Are a serious problem. The agriculture department had to fumigate 540 arriving vehicles recently at Charleston at a Cost of about $40 per vehicle another fumigation at Bayonne n.j., Cost about $125 per vehicle because a smaller number of cars was  car infestations May have occurred after inspection during transport from drop off Points to the port Rush said. A. For inspection purposes the department considers Only Germany to be infested by asian Gypsy Mollis. The asian Strain identified in Germany Only recently is a greater menace than the european Gypsy Moth because the asian caterpillars eat a greater variety of leaves. The caterpillars threaten to damage some 183,000 acres in Southern Germany this Spring and German officials Are using insecticides to combat the pest. Also the female asian Moths can Fly up to 20 Miles a Day after mating while their european counterparts do not Fly after mating. Because of this Rush has recommended expanding the classification to the entire european  review Heidelberg Germany a amps a Gypsy Moth problems aside the . Army Europe says its record for quickly moving goods to from or within Europe has improved since last year. Delayed deliveries which amounted to 16 percent of All shipments six months ago now constitute Only 7 percent the command said last week. The level of damaged shipments Rose from 32 to 37 percent Between last october and april but it remains lower than the 41 percent of a year ago. Also the average amount of loss or damage per shipment is declining the command said. The command attributes the improvements to the establishment a year ago of us household goods Carrier performance review Board which meets semiannually. The Board can propose disqualifying or suspending carriers or can warn them directly about perceived contract breaches. Based on the april october 1993 monitoring period the Board recommended disqualification of five moving carriers. In the following six month period the Board issued no such recommendations. Carriers and their agents acutely aware of the Board reviews have tried to improve their performances accordingly the command said. Thu Sarteur program has received favourable attention from the military traffic management come which plans to expand the system to include Navy and air Force shipments in Europe and to co chair the october 1994 review session with All the service branches